Eva's and Neil's First Mission
by cocoacoconuts24
Summary: New Sigmund Corp hires, Eva and Neil, have completed their training and must now tackle their first unsupervised mission. Things go horribly wrong.
1. Act 1 - The Case of Lolita Riveira

_Five years ago..._

"Giirrrl, don't make me do it."

"Just give me a second!"

"I'm gonna do it."

"Neil, just hold on. I'm not ready."

"Three..."

"Neil."

"Two..."

"Neil, I swear to God."

"One!"

"Nei - OW!"

Eva yelped as Neil karate-chopped her wrists, forcing her to drop the Sigmund Employee Handbook she had been poring over for the last fifteen minutes. She retaliated with a floppy arm flail - the best she could manage from the driver's seat of their cramped company car. Impervious, Neil took the chance to grab the handbook and stow it in his inner coat pocket.

"Enough studying. We're late," he said, stepping out of the car from the passenger's side.

"Since when did you care about punctuality all of a sudden?" said Eva, stepping out of the car.

"I don't. I care about Rob getting on my case about punctuality. You weren't there for the almighty sermon he gave me this morning."

Neil opened the trunk of the car, and with a huff, hauled out the massive metal briefcase with their equipment. "Did you know they took attendance for those stupid training seminars we had to attend? What're we, high schoolers?"

"Well, I helped you cheat on your exams again, so...Yeah, we're pretty much still in high school," said Eva, following Neil up the gravelly driveway of a small house.

"Oh, come off it. The only reason you passed was because you crammed at the last minute."

"The only reason _we_ passed. And see? Doesn't that prove that cramming is useful?" said Eva, with a smirk.

"It might be useful for written tests. But this is the real deal. Rob's not here to babysit us anymore with our patients. If anything goes wrong -"

"Don't you worry," chirped Eva, pulling out and unfolding a sheet of paper from her pocket. "I spent all night mapping out all possible scenarios, and coming up with contingency plans for each of them."

Neil gaped at her incredulously. Eva returned it with a confident grin.

"Don't forget. We _are_ professionals now. And this is what professionals do. They are prepared to handle anything," said Eva, ringing the doorbell.

A short, stocky lady dressed in nurse's scrubs opened the door.

"Hi, we're from Sigmund Corps," said Eva, in her friendliest voice. "I'm Dr. Eva Rosalene. This is Dr. Neil Watts. We're here to see Lolita Riveira?"

* * *

Maybe it was nerves, but it took Eva and Neil ten minutes longer to set up the equipment than when Rob oversaw them. They bickered in hushed voices about where to set up the machine. Neil had left behind a couple cables in the car and had to run back and grab them. The nurse watched them with curiosity, but made no comment. Still, Eva carried on with her work with as much dignity as she could muster, despite her heart puttering with embarrassment and nerves.

She cast a glance at Lolita Riveira, their client. Lolita was a ninety-year-old lady, deep in a coma, with the nurse standing at her bedside. The nurse, a kindly lady whose name was Myrna, had informed Eva and Neil with her limited English of Lolita's final wish - to re-experience her life with a loving family of her own. Neil rolled his eyes at yet another sappy wish, earning him a glare from Eva. She knew he would wait until they were "safely" in the client's memories before he started mocking them.

Eva gently placed the special helmet - which connects the client's mind to the machine - on Lolita's head, and switched it on. The machine hummed as it responded to Lolita's mental input. Eva turned to give Neil the thumbs up. He reciprocated and put on his helmet.

Eva logged Neil into the software. She double- and triple-checked Neil's connections to make sure they were secure.

"Ready to launch, Neil. I'll be right behind you."

"See ya downtown in crazy town," he said, reaching up to flip the switch on his helmet with a self-satisfied smirk. His helmet began to hum; he was now in Lolita's memories.

Before Eva could put on her helmet, there came a crunch of gravel outside the house. Someone had just parked in the driveway. Eva turned to see a middle-aged woman dressed in office attire march up the driveway.

"Ah, pardon me," said the nurse, Myrna, promptly leaving the bedroom to speak to the newcomer.

Eva could hear a hushed, but heated argument in a language she couldn't understand take place just outside the bedroom door.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the middle-aged woman came charging in like a bull.

"Who are you people? What are you doing with my mother?"

Eva was so taken-aback, she forgot her professionalism.

"I, er...We're from Sigmund Corp. Um. I'm Eva. He's Neil. And uh, yeah...Hi."

"Sigmund WHAT?" The daughter looked ready to kill something.

"Sigmund Corp. We'll be working with your mother's memories to-"

"Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Myrna, I TOLD you not to go through with this!" The daughter resumed yelling at the poor nurse in their language.

Myrna ignored the tirade and addressed Eva. "This is Bonnie. Lolita's daughter. She means no disrespect."

"Get out of my house. All of you," Bonnie growled.

Myrna put her arm in front of Bonnie, as if to block her words. "No, please continue, Dr. Rosalene. Lolita asked for you to-"

"Myrna, you work for me. Not my mother. Your orders were solely to look after the medical needs of my mother. Not to meddle in our personal lives."

Eva looked between Bonnie, Myrna, and Neil, who had already entered Lolita's memories and was now semi-conscious. Eva fiddled with her helmet, unsure what to do.

"You have five minutes to get out of my house or I'm calling the police," said Bonnie.

"Look," said Eva, "Maybe we should consider rescheduling while you two figure this out."

"No, please. There is no other time," pleaded Myrna. "Lolita can't hold on for much longer. This needs to be done today."

"Let me call my boss," said Eva, already dialing his extension. She moved out of the bedroom into the hallway - partly so she could hear Rob, but mostly so she could take a breather and think straight.

"Hi. This is Robert Lin-"

"Rob! Thank God, I was just -" Eva began.

"- I am currently out of the office right now. But please leave your name and number, and I will - "

Eva hung up. He must be out on an assignment right now. Who else could she call? Should she consult Neil?

That's right! She could contact Neil while he's still in Lolita's memories! However, they had never used the machine's "walkie-talkie" system before since they had always entered a client's memories together; it was a strict Sigmund Corp policy for newbies to stick together for their own safety.

Eva returned to Lolita's bedroom to see Bonnie and Myrna arguing again. They turned to look at Eva.

"Well?!" snapped Bonnie.

"I need to speak with my colleague. Please excuse me," said Eva.

"Are you leaving?" demanded Bonnie.

"Please excuse me," repeated Eva, steadily.

"I'm calling the police. I warned you." Bonnie pulled out her phone and dialed.

Eva took a deep breath and logged into the machine. She initialized the "walkie-talkie" program. The screen flashed the words "Connected to Neil Watts."

Eva looked around the machine for a microphone. It was located at the top of the machine. She switched it on. Before Eva could speak -

"Hi, two people have broken into my house," said Bonnie into her cell phone.

"Neil?" said Eva, apprehensively.

"...Eva? What're you doing? What's taking you so long?" Neil's voice came in loud and clear through the speaker, even though no sound came from the Neil sitting next to her.

Eva tried to keep her voice from quivering. "There's not a lot of time. You have to listen to me. There's been...a situation out here."

"What? What's happening?"

Eva opened her mouth to answer and hesitated. She glanced at Lolita and the heart monitor she was hooked up to. Her vital signs were weakening. Poor Myrna was running back and forth between adjusting Lolita's IV drip and trying to dissuade Bonnie from calling the police.

"Eva?" said Neil.

Eva's heart was pounding.

"How long will it take the police to get here?" said Bonnie, shooting a vindictive look at Eva. "Five minutes? Great, I can stay on the line."

"Eva?!" said Neil.

Eva looked from Bonnie's glare, to Myrna desperately trying to buy them time, to Lolita still hanging in there, to Neil sitting semi-conscious in his chair. Eva took a breath, closed her eyes, and made the choice that doomed their mission.

"Neil, I'm sorry to do this to you, but you have ten minutes to fulfill Lolita's wish."

"What?"

"I don't have time to explain, but we're in trouble. I have to stay out here to buy you as much time as we can get. Our only other option is to abort the mission."

"Then let's abort the mission!"

"No! I...I can't do that. We can't do that."

"Eva, this isn't safe. I'm getting out of here."

"No, wait! Lolita's declining. If we disconnect now, we might not be able to re-establish connection."

"But - "

"But! But, Myrna's stabilizing her right now. She should be fine for a little while longer, but not much more than that. Neil, please. There's not much time."

"There's literally NO time! I can't fulfill her wish in ten minutes! Are you insane?!"

"Neil, please. Just...get as far as you can. I'll join you as soon as I can calm things down out here. I need to buy us more than ten minutes, otherwise it's a mission failure, and I...I..."

There was a pause. Eva could almost see Neil trying to process the metric ton of stupid she was spouting.

Her voice started to break. "Neil, I _do_ have your back, and I _will_ get you the time you need. I promise you. But I can only do that from out here. You have to trust me."

Another pause.

"...Ten minutes?" Neil growled through his teeth.

"I'll get you more than that if I can manage it," said Eva.

"I'll see you in ten minutes then."

Eva almost laughed with relief, "Neil, thank-"

Bonnie suddenly grabbed Eva by her collar.

"Get him out of there," said Bonnie, in a low, deadly voice.

Eva slowly dislodged herself from Bonnie. "Ma'am, we're contractually obligated to complete this mission. Your mother-"

"Get him out now!"

"He'll rejoin us when his job is done."

Livid, Bonnie marched over to the power outlet where the machine was plugged in. She reached out to the power cord.

Eva grabbed Bonnie's shoulder. "No, don't!"

Bonnie whipped around and - WHAP! - backhanded Eva in the face. Eva fell. Myrna screamed.

Cheek stinging, Eva scrambled to her feet and threw herself at Bonnie, knocking her into the table with Myrna's medical supplies, causing everything to clatter to the floor.

As the two grappled amongst the medicine bottles and various sharp objects, Eva registered three thoughts.

One: She did not know how to fight.

Two: Some insane part of her was certain that Lolita's wish was worth this much trouble. That despite endangering everyone in the room and making one terrible decision after another, Eva believed her client's wish was important enough.

There was a sudden sting in her neck. Bonnie had taken a syringe filled with a sedative liquid, and plunged it into Eva's neck. Suddenly, her body went numb, sight turned into blurry color, and panicked voices turned into noise.

Three: Neil Watts completely trusted her.

* * *

White, empty space stretched as far as the eye can see. Everything was suffused with a bright, ethereal light. Everything was calm.

Eva looked around. She was all alone, floating in this white emptiness. Where was she?

"Hello, dear," said a frail voice.

Eva jumped and turned around.

She wasn't alone, after all. There, sitting in a white armchair, was Lolita, knitting a blanket.

"You're...Lolita," said Eva.

Lolita looked up from her work and smiled, without pausing her knitting.

Eva gasped. "Oh, no...Am I...Did I...?"

Lolita chuckled. "No, you still have plenty of time left. To live, I mean. Not to do the thing you were contracted to do. _That_ time has already run out."

"What? What do you mean 'run out'? Where am I?"

Lolita shrugged. "Beats me. I've just been here knitting this whole time."

Eva slowly approached Lolita.

"Um, sorry if this is rude, but...What are you exactly?"

"A figment of your imagination, most likely. Perhaps I only exist to give you one last chance."

"To do what?"

"To make amends. To apologize to your dead client for your failure to uphold your part of the contract."

"Failure? We...failed?"

Lolita gazed sadly at Eva, and nodded. No, this can't be right.

Eva marched up to Lolita.

"Look, something happened with your daughter, and - "

"Ahh yes. Bonnie. She and I have had a patchy relationship for the past twenty years or so. As I understand, she gave you quite the fright."

"She knocked me out with a sedative."

Lolita seemed mildly interested in this news, as if hearing that Bonnie had invited them to dinner.

"Hmm. So that's why you failed your mission?"

Eva just stood there, dumbstruck.

"But...But, what about Neil? Where's Neil? Is he alright? Did he fulfill the wish?"  
Lolita began to fade away.

"Ah, that boy? You've got yourself a good partner," Lolita said merrily. "He stayed with you until the ambulance arrived and spoke to the police for you. You ought to thank him."

Before Eva could repeat her question that never got answered, Lolita disappeared into the hazy white light.

Suddenly, there was nothing but a bright white light above Eva's head. She blinked.

She was lying in a hospital bed, covered in a knitted blanket.

* * *

"Why hello there. Nice of you to join us," said Rob.

Eva's boss gave her a smile, which she didn't return.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Eva gingerly put a hand up to her neck, and felt a small bandage there.

"Like a bag of rocks," she croaked.

Rob nodded. "That's to be expected. The sedative is still wearing off, but the doctor says that with a day's rest, you should be just fine."

Rob gave her another valiant attempt at a smile, but gave up. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair next to her hospital bed.

Eva blearily looked around the room.

"Where's Neil?" she asked.

"He's currently being questioned by the police. But he's spent the past few hours by your side."

The guilt needled her in the chest.

"Is he alright?"

"He's doing okay. Or rather, he's unharmed. He's been going crazy with stress and worry otherwise."

"Did he...What about Lolita?"

Rob looked down, steeling himself.

"She's gone. Luckily, Neil was able to get himself out in time."

"But did he do it? Did he fulfill-"

Rob stared at her sadly and shook his head. "There wasn't enough time. She declined too rapidly. I'm sorry."

It was as if a candle had been snuffed out inside of Eva's chest, leaving her feeling cold and empty, like an abandoned house. She turned her head away from Rob. This was all her fault and hers alone.

"Just fire me already," she muttered.

Rob sighed. "I'll tell you what. Let's...forget about that for now. I want you to take the rest of the week off to recover. We can figure out what to do on Monday."

"I don't want to do this anymore," said Eva, her voice breaking. "I don't ever want to do anything like that again."

"Eva. We'll talk about this when you're fully recovered. But not now. Right now, I want you to rest. That's an order."

Eva took a deep, shaky breath. She still refused to look at Rob.

"Your sister will be here to pick you up in half an hour. I need you to take it easy for today, alright? Leave everything else to me."

Reluctantly, Eva nodded. Rob stood up.

"Good. Listen, I hate to leave you so abruptly, but I have to meet with the police and sort out some insurance paperwork with Myrna. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

If Rob had picked up the phone when she had called the first time in Lolita's house...

Rob stood up and left Eva to stare at the ceiling alone.

The rest of the day flew by in a blur. Eva's older sister, Traci, incessantly fussed over Eva from the hospital to the car ride to Eva's apartment and all through the evening. Traci stayed the night at Eva's place. Eva offered to help cook dinner or to inflate the spare inflatable mattress, but Traci almost yelled at her to get back to bed. The two spent the rest of the evening sipping hot cocoa and watching some sitcom on TV.

The rest of the week, however, was lost amidst a growing hurricane of anxiety and shame. This was not rest and recovery; Rob had sent her away to stew in her failure.

She spoke with the police a few times, mainly about the fight with Bonnie. It turns out Bonnie was arrested and serving time in jail for assaulting Eva, but Eva decided not to press any further charges. She wondered if Bonnie was going to sue Sigmund Corp over the incident.

Sunday night, Eva sat on her tiny balcony, surrounded by her vegetable garden. Traci had gone home. Eva had insisted that she felt completely fine, despite Traci continuing to worry. Traci did have work Monday morning, though, so she didn't have much room to argue. She made Eva promise to call the moment she needed anything.

Eva took a sip of her chamomile tea. For the umpteenth time, she ran over in her mind what she was going to say to Rob Monday morning. She wasn't sure what she would say to everyone else at the office, however. And Neil...

Her heart clenched with guilt. She had to be one of the worst people Neil's ever met. She knew how fragile his trust in other people was. She knew she was one of the only people he's ever considered, well, anything remotely resembling a friend. The thought of putting him through more undeserved anguish because of her incompetence at this job only strengthened her resolve.

She finished the last of her tea. She knew what she was going to do.

"Well, that's the long and short of it," said Rob, shuffling a stack of legal forms.

"Since we failed to uphold our end of the contract, we had to give Lolita's family a full refund; Bonnie being the only beneficiary. So, we essentially paid for Bonnie's bail."

Eva nodded and shivered slightly in Rob's drafty office. She had no idea why Rob liked to keep his office window wide open, regardless of the weather outside.

"As for your medical expenses, worker's compensation will be able to cover that, so you don't need to worry. Good news, right?"

Rob gave yet another valiant attempt at a smile.

"Great news," Eva replied robotically.

Rob stood up and began filing the paperwork in a filing cabinet in the corner of the room.

"So," he said, rifling through the various folders, "Here's the predicament we're in. Our Board of Directors discussed this whole Lolita incident, and have deliberated whether or not your actions constitute grounds for termination."

"They do," said Eva. "They absolutely do."

Rob put up a hand. "While Bonnie isn't going to file a lawsuit, she would probably raise a PR stink if we let you off scot-free. The Board is currently taking your extenuating circumstances into account, mainly the fact that Bonnie assaulted you to try and stop you from upholding the contract. That _might_ be enough to mitigate your punishment. They'll be holding a hearing next week; you should've already received your summons in the mail."

Rob came around to Eva's side and sat on his desk. "Personally, I really don't want to fire you," he said. "You're hard-working. You're intelligent. You've got so much drive and dedication that it's almost intimidating. I can't tell you how rare it is to find someone like that. Trust me, we've interviewed a lot of idiots, normal people, and fairly smart people before we found you.

"Granted, what you did was...extreme and ill-advised. But it is my opinion that it's more beneficial to correct that behavior and channel your never-say-die attitude into something more productive, than to simply fire you. And quite frankly, you're really hard to replace.

"So, here's the compromise. We're going to suspend you for a week without pay while we wait for your hearing. There's a very good chance that they won't fire you - not if I have something to say about it. I'm confident that you'll be back to work before you know it. What do you say?"

Eva found herself gaping. She's not immediately fired? This was the opposite of how she expected this conversation to go.

Her brief elation was extinguished by the thought of another disastrous screw-up. What would she do if something even worse happened to either her or Neil on a future mission? The thought of wearing away the company's very tenuous patience in her - let alone the trust of her colleagues - induced a gut-wrenching anxiety.

"Um, thank you for your generosity," said Eva, meekly. "But...I can't promise that I won't do something like this again. In fact, knowing me, I'll find a way to screw things up even worse. And..."

Eva took a deep breath. "...I don't want to be a walking liability for a living. I don't want to work at the 'You're Bad at This' company for the rest of my life."

Rob smiled sympathetically. "I don't blame you. But bear in mind that you're inexperienced, not incompetent; there's a difference. No one except our most veteran employees really know how hard this job can get. You just happened to get a taste of that earlier than most.

"So now that you've had this experience, I'd say you're pretty well-equipped to succeed in this career, if you choose to continue. That's completely up to you, of course."

Rob paused to let Eva consider what he had said. She stared past Rob out the wide open window. A flock of birds fluttered past into the bright sunshine.

"So if I may ask you again: What will it be?" he said.

Eva watched the birds fly into the distance. A light breeze wafted into the room. This time, it wasn't cold; it was encouraging.

Eva turned to Rob and, with a smile, gave him her answer.

* * *

Eva scarcely left Rob's room, when a voice called to her.

"Eva!"

She turned and her stomach immediately dropped. It was Neil.

He hurried over to her. "Oh my God, are you alright? Are you hurt? I tried calling you, but your bossy sister kept answering your phone. She's really mean, you know, but I guess that explains a lot. What happened in your meeting with Rob? Did he tell you about your hearing? I'm going to be there too, you know. I'm going to raise some hell. But don't you take that to mean Rob and I are on the same team, okay? We're just...doing the same thing at the same time at the same location for the same goal. Got that? Oh, and first off..."

Neil flicked Eva on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"That's for all the shit you just put me through. Good gravy, it's a lot of work being your partner!"

Eva rubbed her forehead and smiled.

"Well, if that's my punishment, then I'm getting off too easy. Oh, and first off."

Eva flicked Neil on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"That's for calling my sister bossy."

"Oh, we both know it's true!"

"But you're not her sister, so you don't get the privilege of teasing her like I can."

The two walked down the hall to their respective offices.

"And besides, I was the one who was out of the loop for a week," said Eva, fishing for her office key. "I should be asking you how you're doing."

"Just dandy. Listen, I hate to cut this short, but I gotta leave for an assignment with...ugh, Alistair...If this goes well, I should be back in the office by Wednesday at the latest," said Neil, unlocking his door and hurrying inside.

"You'll be here, right? On Wednesday, I mean?" called Neil, grabbing various equipment from his office.

"I'll...I'll be around," said Eva, her voice trailing off.

"Great, we can take a long lunch break and I can regale you with all the fun we had without you," joked Neil, tottering out of his office. He was balancing a bunch of equipment in one arm, while locking his door with the other.

"Alright, I gotta go! I'll see ya later, alligator!" he said from behind his armful of stuff.

And with that Neil was gone. Eva scarcely had time to do more than wave goodbye.

She stood there in silence for quite a while before entering her own office. On the way in, she removed her placard that said "Eva Rosalene" from her door. She remembered wistfully how happy she was to land this job with her own office and official-looking name placard.

With a heavy heart, she tossed the placard into the cardboard box sitting on her desk, along with the rest of her belongings.

It was time for her to leave, too.

* * *

Neil heaved the heavy suitcase with the memory machine out of the trunk of the company car, and heaved it toward the back entrance of the Sigmund Corp building. He carefully set the suitcase down, fished out his ID badge, and swiped it into the card reader. The door unlocked with a click, and Neil dragged the suitcase inside.

"Slow down, Neil. What's the hurry?" called Alistair, hobbling out of the car as fast as his arthritis would allow him. "You haven't even locked the car doors yet!"

Without looking back, Neil held up the car key remote.

Beeeeeep! The car let out a protest beep, since Alistair hadn't even shut his passenger side door yet. He shut it, and the car responded with an affirmative "Beep!". Alistair followed Neil into the building. Neil didn't slow his pace.

"Sorry, I just needed to breathe some non-Alistair air. I've spent so long in that car with you, I've forgotten what normal air smelled like," said Neil, walking briskly down the hallway.

"I keep telling you, it's my overactive glands, confound it!" sputtered Alistair. "My dermatologist recommended this oil for my skin. Supposed to help with the smell. So every night, I oil myself-"

"Alright, alright, alright. Can we just...not?" Neil shuddered.

"You brought it up," Alistair muttered.

They went through a door to the main lobby and called an elevator. Alistair got in and stared at Neil.

"Wait, aren't you going up?" he asked.

"You go on ahead. I'll take the next one. Okaythanksbye!" Neil waved as the elevator doors closed. He heaved a sigh of relief.

He checked his phone. Just in time for lunch. He gave himself a mental high five for accurately predicting when this latest mission was going to be over. He should've placed a bet with Eva.

A wicked grin spread across Neil's face. Eva's due for another prank. What better way to welcome her back into the office than a prank call or a water balloon ambush?

The elevator came back for Neil, and he spent the short lift concocting an elaborate plot. The elevator reached his floor, and by the time he dragged the suitcase to his office, he had already decided on placing Eva's car on sale for $1 on Craigslist.

He was so absorbed in his diabolical plans, he hardly noticed the bustle going around amongst his colleagues. They were milling around in the hallway; their hushed conversations quickly silenced when they spotted Neil.

"Oh, Neil," said Roxie, her face uncharacteristically distressed. "Have you heard?"

"Hm?" said Neil, barely listening. He pushed past the group, unlocked his office door and set the heavy suitcase down in his office.

Roxie timidly approached him. "Eva...She..."

"Yeah, I know. She came back on Monday. I saw her briefly before I left," said Neil from his office.

Everyone was crowding his doorway. Roxie exchanged an uncomfortable look with Logan.

"Um...Actually..." mumbled Logan, as if speaking any louder would bring bad luck. "Eva's...gone."

"Gone? Did she already leave for the day?" said Neil.

"She left...for good," said Logan.

Silence.

Neil turned around to look at everyone properly.

"What?"

"Neil," Roxie murmured gently."Eva resigned."

No. That's not right. That can't be right. Neil shoved everyone aside and crossed the hallway to Eva's office. He paused at the empty plastic placeholder on her door where her name placard was supposed to be. He opened the door.

There was nothing and no one in the office. No decorative plants. No essential oil diffuser. No open diary on the desk.

No Eva.

Roxie tentatively placed a hand on Neil's shoulder. "Neil, I'm really sorry."

Neil jerked his arm away. "Welp. Good riddance, then. I can't say I'm going to miss that nagging wet blanket. Onward and upward, it is."

He refused to look at anyone. Suddenly, he could no longer stand to spend another second in this empty office. He shoved past his staring coworkers, retreated into his office, and locked the door.

* * *

To be continued...

Next: Act 2 - The Case of Horace Greenlove


	2. Act 2 - The Case of Horace Greenlove

_Two months later_

 _Thwack!...Thwack!...Thwack!_

Neil slouched in his office chair, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall he shared with Rob's office, and catching it with a baseball glove.

Rob opened Neil's door. Neil tossed the ball to Rob. It hit him squarely in the forehead and bounced on the floor.

Rob narrowed his eyes at Neil.

"You were supposed to catch that," said Neil.

"Have you finished that report?"

"Already sent it to Admin."

"Then what're you doing?"

Neil swiveled in his chair. "Taking my mandatory fifteen-minute break. What else?"

"Neil, it's..." Rob checked his watch. "4:30. If you've finished all your work, then just go home."

He turned to leave.

"Hey, I'm throwin' a little shindig at my place this Friday night. Should be pretty fun," said Neil.

"Oh yeah? What's the occasion?"

"It's my birthday!"

Rob rolled his eyes and turned to go. "Neil, your birthday's not for another three months. Go home."

Rob shut the door behind him.

"I never said you were invited!" called Neil. "But you know! No one's stopping you from going! Go or don't go - whatever!"

No response. Neil stood up and stretched. Life sure has been good these past couple months. He's kept himself busy both at work and at home. Without his former partner around to hog his personal time, he's been able to gain enough experience in his favorite MMORPG to obtain a rare magic spell. He wrote a fan fiction, a TV pilot for a sci-fi series, and a poem in the language he made up.

And now he had this party to look forward to! Yes, life sure has been great. Neil made sure of it.

* * *

He decided to take Rob's advice and head home. Time to shop for some board games and booze for the party!

Friday night came. Neil's small townhouse was packed with people; about a third of whom were complete strangers. There was loud music, a strobe light, a bounce house. There was even a pony out on the lawn. The neighbors' kids loved it; the parents didn't.

And there was drinking. Lots of it. Neil didn't know what he was putting in his cup half the time. He sat on the couch with some hot chick draped over his shoulders, his glasses askew. Not like he'd be able to see with his glasses; he was pretty far gone.

Eddie, the new summer intern, approached him. He had just started a week ago, and Neil already hated him.

"Good evening, ma'am," Eddie greeted the hot chick. "Hey Neil."

Neil stared blearily at Eddie.

"Nice party. This booze tastes good. Goes down smooth," said Eddie, nodding and smiling, clearly desperate to fit in.

"Hey, put that down," said Neil, pointing at the beer in Eddie's hand. "You're like what, twelve?"

"I'll be eighteen in August. So...I'm more or less an adult. Hashtag 'adulting', am I right? Hashtag 'life'. Hashtag 'adult life'. Hashtag 'adulting for life'. Eh? Eh?" Eddie gave Neil the old double finger guns and a wink.

Neil buried his face in his hands. "God, why? Why...are you so... _freaking_... _weird?!_ "

Eddie forced a laugh. "No biggie. I can change the topic. So, uh...What's the party for?"

Neil stuck a dollar in Eddie's suspenders.

"Dance, monkey."

Eddie stood there perplexed. "Uhh, what?"

"I said DANCE!"

"O-okay!"

Eddie broke into some form of the funky chicken - if that chicken had a broken hip and several ghosts vying for control over its appendages. The crowd laughed and cheered, which only encouraged Eddie to dance harder.

Roxie came over.

"Hey Neil. I didn't know you hired a stripper," she gestured to Eddie with her beer. "Oh, I was referring to our coworker, Eddie - not you," she responded to the hot chick's glare. "You look beautiful, by the way. Where'd you get that blouse?"

The hot chick rolled her eyes.

"So, Neil," Roxie recovered. "I just texted Eva and asked if she was coming and...she told me she wasn't invited...Have you talked to her lately?"

Neil fumbled around in his wallet again. He unknowingly stuck his driver's license in Roxie's updo.

"Dance," he ordered.

Roxie fished out the driver's license and handed it back to Neil.

"Is everything all right, Neil?"

"Where's the pony? I bet the pony dances," said Neil, pushing the hot chick off of him and getting unsteadily to his feet.

Roxie eyed him suspiciously. "Wait. Is...Is this what I think it is?"

Neil staggered through the dancing crowd towards the door. Roxie followed him.

"Oh my goodness, it IS! Holy crap..." Roxie gawked at Neil, who refused to make eye contact.

"I dunno whatchu talkin' 'bout," slurred Neil. "You dunno whatchu talkin' bout. Nobody knows whatchu talkin' bout. Not even Willis. Hey, Willis,"

Willis McMillan raised his glass to Neil from the dance floor. His wife, Taima, giggled with tipsy giddiness.

"I hope I don't get all old and decrepit when I'm they're age," said Neil. He opened his front door.

"This is all about Eva, isn't it?" pressed Roxie, like a lawyer cross-examining a lying witness.

Neil stopped. Roxie stopped just behind him. She gasped.

"Dr. Neil Watts. You invited us all here for a literal pity party, didn't you?"

Neil didn't say anything. Roxie let out a laugh.

"Wow, this is...This is both cute and excruciatingly pathetic. You know, you're such a hard guy to figure out a lot of the time, but sometimes, Neil, you're just a big ol' cliche that wants a hug."

Roxie shook her head in disbelief. "But hey, it's none of my business, right? If it makes you feel any better, I didn't come here to sulk with you; I came here for that soft-serve machine you rented. Did you know that if you pull down the middle lever, it _combines_ the vanilla and chocolate? Madness!"

She walked away, giggling to herself.

Neil collected himself. He straightened his tie and his glasses. Roxie can keep her pity; save it for someone who's actually miserable. He was Neil Watts. Leaving people and emotional baggage behind was his bread and butter for getting through life - it's what made him such a good fit for this job. He felt vindication and alcohol coursing through his bloodstream as he remembered how good he was at ditching deadweight people in his life and flying free. If he could cut ties with his own father, he could certainly leave his former partner in the dust without a backwards glance.

This is easy, he thought as he rejoined the party. He'll forget about her in no time. In fact, he was forgetting her with every shot of whiskey, every beat of the music, and every dumb joke he cracked. And oh, it was bliss to forget.

But the party eventually ended.

* * *

After sleeping through most of the weekend, Neil felt wide awake sitting in his idled car Monday evening - jittery even. He should really cut back on the energy drinks.

Neil smelled Alistair's stench before he heard him. Neil pulled on a gas mask and rolled down his window, just as the passenger door opened.

"Very funny, Neil," Alistair croaked, humorlessly. He hauled himself into the passenger's seat with a grunt.

"Who's joking? I'm being dead serious right now," came Neil's muffled voice. "It smells like burnt rubber and gasoline in this mask, and it's still a world of improvement."

"Dead serious? Was that a pun about our job?"

There was no way in hell that Neil would dignify that with a response.

Neil started the car and peeled out of the parking lot. They drove in silence for a while.

"Did you look over the patient files?" said Neil.

"Horace Greenlove. He's in hospice care at Graceful Springs."

"Mm," responded Neil.

Another silence.

"You know, I used to visit Graceful Springs Hospice every weekend," said Alistair, "Beautiful place. Great staff. Therapy dog Thursdays. They've got the works."

Neil didn't say anything. It wasn't like Alistair to engage in small talk.

"I'd visit Thomas every weekend. He was my partner years ago; we started at Sigmund at around the same time. Thomas Charleston was his name. You'd've liked him, Neil. Same sharp tongue and a whiplash wit.

"...I was there when he passed on. He didn't need Sigmund's services; he had lived his life well. He left with a smile."

Alistair sniffed.

"It's impossible to describe what a goodbye feels like - especially saying goodbye to a dear friend. It's like trying to describe what a B flat sounds like to someone who's never heard it. Millions of words in hundreds of languages can only convey so much, but a single experience says everything.

"...I don't wish you any suffering, Neil. But I do hope that when the time comes when you must part ways with someone dear to you, you'll have the courage to say goodbye to them properly. And I hope you'll allow yourself to feel...that feeling that's impossible to describe when you do say goodbye. You'll be glad you did."

Neil kept his eyes straight ahead. The last thing he wanted was to see Alistair getting choked up; Neil was never comfortable around tears.

"Alright there, Dumbledore," muttered Neil. Alistair actually chuckled softly. He's not that bad of a dude sometimes, thought Neil.

The truth was Neil actually did know how goodbyes felt. He just couldn't say he was any better off for having felt them. Quite the opposite, actually.

Neil took a deep breath.

"Well, I think this is our street here. That was quick. These geezers sure die at convenient locations for us."

Neil turned into a tree-lined driveway that wound up a gentle slope to a gorgeous facility surrounded by trees and open park land.

Neil might be an asshole, but he had the sense not to walk into a hospice wearing a gas mask. Although, he did enjoy the mental picture.

He let Alistair go in ahead, while Neil lugged the equipment far behind - out of nose-shot from Alistair's stench.

The receptionist pointed Neil down a hallway to their client's room. He looked through the windows at the various patient rooms, checking the whiteboards on the doors to see if their client's name, Horace Greenlove, was written on any of them.

He passed by a particular window. He stopped. He set down his equipment. And stared transfixed through the window.

It wasn't his client. It was an old man by the name of Hector Riveira, according to the whiteboard on his door. He didn't know this old man, but he knew the person sitting at the bedside like he knew his own home.

He opened the door, and merely stood in the threshold.

Eva stood up from her chair, astonished.

"Neil?"

* * *

They gaped at each other in mutual surprise.

"Neil, what're you doing here?" said Eva.

Neil slowly approached her.

This is it, thought Neil. This is your chance to rip into her for ditching you without so much as a goodbye. This is where you can stop pretending you're fine and get fucking pissed. And you have every right to be pissed. You trusted her above your better judgement. You talked to the police for her. You sat at her fucking bedside while she was unconscious. And how did Eva thank you? The same way anyone you ever gave a damn about thanked you. She failed you. She betrayed you. She abandoned you. This is it. This is your chance.

 _"I do hope that when the time comes when you must part ways with someone dear to you, you'll have the courage to say goodbye to them properly."_

Neil got right up to Eva's face.

"Come back," said Neil. "Please come back."

Eva blinked in surprise.

Something cracked inside of Neil. Underneath the seething anger inside him, a different, stronger, more terrifying emotion peeked through. This wasn't the bittersweet "goodbye" feeling Alistair described, nor was it the feeling of freedom he had experienced with his previous fallouts. This feeling was impossible to describe, but it spoke a truth quieter, yet more powerful than all the vitriol he wanted to hurl at Eva.

"I can't keep doing this. It's been too hard," Neil's voice broke.

Eva opened her mouth but no words came out. Something caught her eye behind Neil.

"Neil?" came Alistair's voice.

Neil turned to see Alistair standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Eva," said Alistair with a wave. "Long time no see. Neil, the patient's in critical condition. We must hurry. My apologies, Eva."

Neil turned back to Eva. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to leave and do his job.

"How long will you be sticking around?" said Neil.

"Craig's on his way to pick me up," replied Eva, a little apologetically.

Of course, thought Neil. Eva's boyfriend would be on his way to make Neil's life difficult, as always.

Neil turned to go.

"You and I need to talk," he said over his shoulder.

"I know," said Eva, meekly.

Neil followed Alistair out of Hector Riveira's room and a few doors down to their client's - Horace Greenlove's - room.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Neil bolted out of Horace Greenlove's room, and tore down the hallway a few doors down to Hector Riveira's room.

"Eva?"

There was no one there except Hector Riveira and a nurse, both staring at him with scandalized looks.

"Excuse me, where's Eva?" Neil asked urgently.

"Who?" said the nurse, incredulously.

"The lady who was here earlier by your bedside," Neil spoke directly to Hector. "Eva. Do you know where she is?"

Hector exchanged perplexed looks at the nurse. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, young man. I'm afraid I don't know an Eva," said Hector.

"Eva. Dr. Eva Rosalene. She was visiting you not too long ago."

"I'm sorry, there are no doctors by that name at this hospice," said the nurse.

"No! She's not a...Ugh, sir! Mr. Riveira, was it? Where's the lady that was visiting you just now?" Neil addressed the old man.

"Sir, visiting hours are over. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," warned the nurse. Neil ignored her.

"Oh, are you referring to the young lady you were speaking to? Long black hair? Dark skin?" said Hector.

Neil nearly laughed in relief. "Yes! Yes, her! Do you know where she went?"

"Oh, Bonnie? She left a few minutes ago," said Hector. "Her husband, Craig, came to pick her up."

Neil was already halfway out the door when he stopped.

"Wait...Bonnie?"

Hector nodded. "Mmhm. That's my daughter. Been through a lot, the poor thing. First her mother died, then she got arrested. I'm just glad she came to visit her old man amidst all that."

Neil inched out of the door. "I'm...still very confused, but I gotta go." He hurried out of the room, out of the hallway, and out of the hospice just in time to see Eva walk toward a car parked in the loading zone of the roundabout driveway.

"Eva!" called Neil.

Eva turned around.

"Neil!"

Neil caught up with her, panting.

"Neil, what're you doing here? What about your patient?!" said Eva, aghast.

"He's dead," said Neil.

"...What about his wish?"

"We didn't make it in time."

Neil wondered how many surprises Eva could experience in one day before she'd stop making that astonished face.

"Neil...That's really bad. You could get suspended. Or worse!"

"Eva...It. Happens." Neil wanted to shake her. "These things are beyond our control. We're _newbies_ \- did you remember that? We're going to suck for a while. But at least I'm not about to pre-emptively quit my job just so I could leave on my own terms!"

Just as the words were coming out of his mouth, he realized just how hypocritical he sounded. It seems he and Eva had an unfortunate trait in common. His anger abated a little.

"Neil, this isn't like...messing up a fast-food order. Someone counted on us to make their deaths a little easier, and we failed. Well, first it was my failure, but I guess now this makes two of us."

Craig, Eva's boyfriend, rolled down his car window.

"Uhh, is everything alright?" he asked.

"Shut the hell up, Craig," barked Neil, without looking at him.

"Don't talk to him like that," warned Eva.

Neil kneaded his brow. "Look, just...answer me something, please." He looked her in the eye. "Why did you leave?"

Eva broke eye contact. "Because I'm not cut out for this."

"Bullshit. You got us _both_ into this job. This was _your_ idea."

"I know. And I'm sorry. I regret...all of that."

That stung.

Eva sighed, "Look, Neil...I didn't just make some innocent newbie mistake. I put everyone in that house in danger - worst of all, you. You wanted to do the smart thing and leave Lolita's memories to help me, but I told you to stay and fulfill her wish because I'm a fucking idiot! I didn't fail because I was new; I failed because I can't make intelligent decisions under duress.

"I mean, I know people have a certain level of patience with others' mistakes, but that just doesn't apply to our job. You either get it perfect or you fail miserably. And now that I've done the latter, those kinds of odds are taking a toll on me that I never anticipated. I can't keep failing dying people, Neil. I can't keep failing you. That's why I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, Neil..."

Eva turned and opened the car's passenger door.

"So that's it. You're giving up," said Neil.

"I'm moving on to something I'll be good at," replied Eva, getting into the car. Neil held the car door, preventing her from closing it.

"Like what?" Neil demanded.

"I'll figure it out. Let go," said Eva, trying to yank the door out of Neil's grip.

"Believe me, I've tried letting go. Turns out I'm not as good at it as I thought I was."

"What? Let go of the door, you idiot! You're going to break something!"

Neil held on tighter. "Listen, if you were anyone else, I would've forgotten you by now."

He looked her in the eyes as they tugged on the door back and forth. "But you're not anyone else. You're Eva Catherine Rosalene. You love plants. You love the color green, but pastel yellow's your favorite. You might even love your boyfriend - I dunno."

"Aww," said Craig.

"But I've never seen you love anything more than making the elderly happy. In the short time you were at Sig Corp, you cared more about the job than any of us did. You're not even an employee anymore, and you're visiting Lolita's husband, for God's sake!"

"Ex-husband, actually. Poor guy keeps calling me his daughter, Bonnie," said Eva. "He seems lonely. And more than a little out of it."

Neil took advantage of Eva letting her guard down and yanked the car door out of her grasp.

"Look...I'm sorry I never contacted you after you quit. I'm sorry I never gave a thought about the hell you must've gone through, because I was too bitter about being left behind. I truly am sorry. Just know that there's a part of you that was _made_ for this job, and you can't deny that. And don't forget you have me! I can keep your dumb ideas in check, while you keep me out of harm's way. We'll be the dream team Sig Corp's never had!

"But, if you're really calling it quits..." Neil's wavered. "...then the least you could do is give me a proper goodbye."

Eva grimaced as if her heart was breaking. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Neil. I can't say goodbye to you."

Neil stood there in disbelief. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Was this it?

Slowly, reluctantly, he pushed the car door and it swung shut. As the car drove away, he thought he saw Eva bury her face in her hands. 

* * *

To be continued...  
Next: Act 3 (final) - The Case of the Dream Team


	3. Act 3 - The Case of the Dream Team

Neil spent the next couple weeks hardly listening to anything anyone said. People just kind of talked at him, while he thought about literally anything else.

He vaguely remembered the meeting he had with Rob about the mission failure with Horace Greenlove. His week-long suspension without pay passed by in a blur. It was only until he received eight increasingly annoyed voicemails from Rob, reminding Neil to check his mail for his Board of Directors hearing summons, that Neil decided he should probably snap out of it.

He decided he was going to go to his hearing and fight for his job. He was determined not to be like Eva and quit. He wouldn't be heartbroken to lose this job, but the pay was pretty good, and Neil was used to certain comforts.

Neil arrived at his hearing about ten minutes early. He sat in the lobby trying to calm his nerves. He could almost hear Eva tease him about his uncharacteristic punctuality. He almost muttered a response under his breath - _"Rob would kill me if I didn't."_

Rob and Alistair soon joined him.

"You ready?" said Rob.

Neil nodded mutely.

One of the Board members came to fetch them. She led them down a hallway to a board room where several other Board members sat around a meeting table and watched Neil like vultures eyeing a potential meal.

What looked to be the chairman of the Board, a pudgy balding man with wispy white hair, shuffled some papers in front of him.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin the hearing," said the chairman. He cleared his throat. "Drs. Alistair Bartholomew Vance and Neil Jack Watts - we will be deliberating your continued employment at Sigmund Corp given your failure to uphold the contract. Your client, Horace Greenlove, passed away due to heart complications before you were able to fulfill your end of the contract. If you can prove that this failure was outside your control and not due to negligence on your part, we may reconsider firing you. You may speak."

Alistair stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Board, I have prepared a forty-part Power Point presentation to state our case. Now, if I may direct your attention to -"

"Or we could simply state the fact that Horace was already declining when we arrived, and call it a day," said Neil, shrugging.

Everyone looked at Neil. Rob rolled his eyes as if to say "Oh, here we go."

"You're Neil Jack Watts?" asked the chairman, peering at his notes.

"It sounds weird when you go all full-namey on me like that, but...yeah. That's me."

"You're a recent full-time hire, is that correct?"

"He had completed his six-month internship and three months of supervised missions," said Rob, before Neil could respond. "He had only been doing unsupervised missions about two months ago."

"Ah yes, now I remember," said the chairman. "You were due to appear before us to vouch for Eva Rosalene, but the hearing was canceled due to her resignation."

"He was actually Eva's partner during that mission," said Rob.

"I see. So that's two mission failures on your record then, Dr. Watts?"

Neil glared daggers at Rob. "You're a real help, you know that?"

"Come to think of it," said the chairman, rifling through his notes. "I have here some complaints levied against you from various folks who wish to remain anonymous. Complaints like "bouncing a tennis ball against the office wall", "either showing up late to company meetings or refusing to show up at all", "refusing to respect your supervisor", "harassing a hospice patient and nurse", and just overall..." He squints at a word. "'...Dick-ishness?' Is that a word?" he asked his fellow board members, who shrugged.

Neil glared even sharper daggers at Rob.

"It's part of my job, Neil. I have to be truthful," said Rob.

Neil gave a laugh. "And _'dick-ishness'_ was the word you chose to pull out of your - ?"

"There. See? Exhibit A, your Honor," interrupted Rob, pointing at Neil.

"Dr. Lin, are you saying that you would like us to fire Dr. Watts?" asked the chairman.

Rob stared at Neil. "Yes. Yes, I would," he said.

Neil didn't know what he would've said to Rob's face at that moment. Whatever he had in mind probably would've sealed his fate if spoken aloud, and his life would've gone in a drastically different direction that day. But he didn't get the chance to say anything.

The door burst open.

"If Neil goes, I go," said Eva.

Everyone turned around. Neil's jaw dropped. Eva strode into the board room confidently.

"I mean...I know I already left, but...I just meant that I won't come back if he gets fired. Yeah, that's what I meant," mumbled Eva.

"Excuse me. Who are you? This is a closed meeting," said the chairman.

"I'm Eva Rosalene. And you're not firing Neil."

"Eva Rosalene, you say?" said the chairman, his eyebrows raised. "So you decided not to show up to your own hearing, but instead, interrupt someone else's?"

"I'm repaying a debt I owe to Neil," said Eva, glancing at Neil. "And I know for a fact that he was planning on defending me for my hearing. But more importantly, he's innocent in regards to this mission failure. This wasn't his fault."

Neil didn't know what to say. Eva was really here - vouching for him. He never thought he'd see the day. He caught Eva's eye and she smiled at him.

One of the other board members, a scrawny old lady with a large hooked nose, scoffed at Eva. "Given your previous actions, Dr. Rosalene, I don't think you're in any position to tell us what constitutes appropriate behavior for a Sigmund employee. You're obviously biased; you were his partner, after all."

"And as his partner, I know him well enough to know that he would never do anything to jeapordize a mission," Eva parried.

The board members looked at each other, unsure what to make of this unexpected development.

"Very well," said the chairman. "What do you have to say on behalf of the accused?"

Eva pulled out a sheet of paper from her purse.

"I have here a photocopy of the patient's death certificate with the exact time of death written on it. Now, before I give it to you-"

She turned to Alistair.

"Alistair, what time did you and Neil receive the call to go to the hospice?"

Alistair scrolled through his Power Point presentation on his laptop. "Uhh, around 6:15pm," he replied.

"And what time did you arrive at the patient's room?" asked Eva.

"Around 6:30pm," said Alistair.

"Our case records can confirm that," said one of the board members, checking his files.

"Good. So given the short distance between the Sigmund Corp offices and the hospice, we've established that there was no dawdling about once the call was received. Agreed?" said Eva.

The board members all looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Now, please take a look at this death certificate," said Eva, handing the piece of paper to the chairman. After squinting at the sheet for a moment, his eyebrows raised.

"The patient died at 6:40pm!" said the chairman, as if impressed.

Neil felt his jaw drop. He knew exactly where this was going.

"That's right," said Eva, a smile creeping onto her face. "Ten minutes. Alistair and Neil had just ten minutes to fulfill a declining client's wish. Now tell me, is it possible for our most experienced agents to traverse an entire lifetime and fulfill a wish in ten minutes?"

"Not likely," said Rob. It takes our best people about an hour just to reach the client's earliest memories and transfer the desire."

"Exactly," said Eva. "So to expect these two agents, one of whom is still fairly new, to fulfill the contract in ten minutes is insanity. And if you were to look at my previous actions, Mrs..." She read the hook-nosed lady's name plate. "...Occhuzzo, you'll find that I, of all people, would be the most qualified to make that assertion and guarantee its validity."

The hook-nosed lady, Mrs. Occhuzzo, balked. She looked like a vulture whose had her feathers ruffled. She eyed Eva with an icy glare as she rifled through her files.

"You know, that actually sounds like a good idea," said Mrs. Occhuzzo. "Why don't we take a look at your case, Dr. Rosalene? Just to call your laughably transparent bluff...Ah, here we are," she said, pulling out a sheet of paper from her folder.

Neil felt a thrill of apprehension in his gut. He didn't like where this was going.

"Well, would you look at that? You're absolutely right!" said Mrs. Occhuzzo, mockingly. "You failed the mission with Lolita Riveira because you, yourself, had tried to order Neil to fulfill the mission in just ten minutes. Clever, very clever."

"The client's daughter, Bonnie, had just called the police," said Eva, steadily. "Not to mention the client's health was declining. At that moment, my priority was to buy us more time."

"And the way you chose to do that was to attack the client's daughter," said Occhuzzo.

"Bonnie slapped Eva across the face!" Neil yelled. "I'm sure that's somewhere in your stupid files."

Rob put a hand on Neil's arm.

"Neil, calm down," warned Rob.

Neil wrenched his arm out of Rob's grasp. He stood up.

"Bonnie tried to unplug my machine, and Eva stopped her, because, if she hadn't, I could've suffered mental damage. It's like pulling out your USB drive without safely ejecting it first. Eva had to forcibly restrain Bonnie, because she was about to hurt us both. The only reason I got out of that unscathed is because of what Eva did. And what did Eva get? A tranq in the neck, a weeklong suspension, and front row seats to the shitshow starring the douche brigade." He gestured grandly at the board members. They all looked scandalized at him. Rob buried his face in his hands.

"Order!" yelled the chairman. He instinctively looked around for a gavel, but given he wasn't a trial judge, he simply banged his fist on his desk.

"No, you listen to me, you old fart. If you're seriously going to prosecute someone who's _already resigned_ , then you've all proven yourselves to be nothing more than a spiteful bunch of morons! This is an embarassing waste of everyone's time. Do what you want with me, but if you have a _shred_ of intelligence, you'll offer Eva her job back."

"And if you have a smidgen of common sense, you'll declare Neil and Alistair innocent of any malpractice in the Horace Greenlove case," added Eva, folding her arms with finality.

The staredown was intense - the Board of Directors vs. Neil and Eva. Neil didn't need to make eye contact with Eva to know that they both had the exact same cold, hard glint in their eyes and the same defiant smile on their lips. There was enough electricity in the air to power the whole city.

Whatever happened in the past and come what may, for just that moment, Neil had his best friend back.

The chairman cleared his throat, "If you've finished stating your case, I believe it's time to conclude this hearing. We'll need some time to deliberate as a Board, and we'll notify you by mail of our verdict within a week. Are we agreed?"

He looked up and down the table at his fellow board members. They nodded in agreement. Mrs. Occhuzzo shuffled her papers, looking miffed.

"Alright, then this hearing is adjourned," said the chairman. He banged his fist on the table like a gavel and stood up. The rest of the Board followed suit and left the room, whispering amongst themselves.

"But...my Power Point presentation..." whimpered Alistair.

"Don't sweat it, Alistair," said Rob, standing up. "It's probably for the best."

Neil and Eva looked at each other. There it was again - that powerful, overwhelming feeling impossible to describe. The feeling stronger than anger and bitterness. The feeling that called out to Eva and implored her to come back to Sig Corp.

"Um...Thanks," mumbled Neil.

"Thanks to you too," said Eva, a little sheepishly. "I came as soon as I got the call from Roxie. How many more of these things are we gonna have to sit through?"

"I'll have to have a word with the chairman about having a hearing for every single failed mission we encounter. It's really cutting into our productivity," said Rob. "I mean, a malpractice hearing just because the patient died too soon? That's ridiculous."

"That's bureaucracy for you," said Alistair, shaking his head.

"Anyway, I think the three of you should lie low for now," said Rob. "Consider your suspensions still in place until you receive your verdicts."

Rob turned to leave.

"Hey Rob," said Neil. "Did you really want to fire me?"

Rob stopped.

"Well, Eva's made her conditions for employment perfectly clear. And from what I can see, she'd be most valuable to the company if you were her partner. I don't know what it is, but...you two have got something."

Rob walked out the door. "But yes, if Eva weren't here, I would've fired you in a heartbeat, Neil. So remember that the next time you decide to play catch with my wall." Rob left.

"Playing catch with his wall?" asked Eva, following Rob out.

"Oh Eva, my dear, Neil went through a pretty strange period after you left, let me tell you..." said Alistair, following Eva out the door as he regaled her with all the weird things Neil would do during her absence.

Neil, alone in the room, looked back to the table where the Board of Directors sat. He threw up two middle fingers and walked out with a swagger.

* * *

 _One week later..._

Neil started the company car, raring to go on his first assignment since getting acquitted.

"You know..." he said. "It's been one hell of a first year at this job. The assignments are depressing and everyone at Sig Corp is a royal pain in the ass - you included. This car smells like ass and Vaseline. And don't get me started on the higher-ups.

"But...I'd be lying if I said some part of me didn't love some part of this job."

"Oh?" said Eva, sitting in the passenger seat, clad once again in her Sig Corp lab coat. "And what part of the job is that?"

Neil looked at her. He could barely contain the genuine happiness spreading across his face.

"Well," he said, "it's a feeling that's hard to describe." 

The End


End file.
